American actress Kristen Bell has revealed she once had to breastfeed her husband when she was suffering from mastitis.

Talking about the experience on The Ellen Show’s YouTube series ‘Momsplaining’, Kristen said:

‘I've had mastitis three times ... it's the worst.’

The Frozen star said the first two times she had the condition, she was prescribed antibiotics.

But the third time, she was unable to get to a doctor, so had to try something else to ease the pain.

‘This was right after the baby stopped nursing ... so I said to my husband, “I'm gonna need you to suck this out”.

‘We could talk about it, we can be weird about it, or you can just go ahead and nurse.’

She then added that her husband, actor Dax Shepard, sucked out the milk and spit it into a cup:

‘He was pulling out, and spitting into this cup. And I've never been more in love in my life.’

Kristen and Dax are parents to Lincoln, four, and Delta, three.

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What is mastitis?

The NHS describes mastitis as a condition that causes a woman's breast tissue to become painful and inflamed. It's most common in breastfeeding women and usually – although not always – develops within the first few weeks of breastfeeding.

It;s reported to affect at least 1 in 10 breastfeeding mums.

What are the symptoms of mastitis?

Mastitis usually only affects one breast, and symptoms often develop quickly.

Symptoms of mastitis can include:

a red, swollen area on your breast that may feel hot and painful to touch

a breast lump or area of hardness on your breast

a burning pain in your breast that may be continuous or may only occur when you are breastfeeding

nipple discharge, which may be white or contain streaks of blood.

You may also experience flu-like symptoms, such as aches, a high temperature (fever), chills and tiredness.